Charles m



(No Model.)

UNIT-nn STATES ATENT FFICE" CHARLES M. VAN TINE, on MA'rfrnAwAN, Nnw Youn.A

OR'DNANGE.

sPncIrIcAI-ION forming part pf Letters Patent No. 380,368, dated Aprn s, Iaaa. Application filed April 12, 1887. Serial No.231,550. l(No model.)

To all whom iv' may concern:

Beit known that I, CHARLnsM. VAN TINE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Matv 'teawan, in the county oi Dutchess and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Ordnance and Fire-Arms, of

which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in ordnance and {ire-arms, by which there is fired 1o in succession in a gun two or more charges of powder or other material suitable to produce the required propelling force; and the objects of my improvements are, first, to make a more effective gun more economically; second, to

' r 5 increase the velocity of projectile with lower initial pressure; third, to overcome the enormous initial pressure other guns are forced to resist in order to obtain high velocity of pro; jectile and to prevent the upsetting of the shot;

fourth, to use two or more charges of the ma-- terial producing the propelling force and have the forces of all the charges act in the line of the bore of the gun; ifth, to accomplish all this with guns now in use with only slight changes, and, sixth, to accomplish all this in siblef I attain these objects by firing in'the bore of the gun two or more charges of the material it is `desired to use to produce the propelling force (and which hereinafter I shall call the chage7) successively,` a light charge nearest the projectile being the first, and by so arranging tubes that the explosion of the first charge of powder-or other suitable material will tire the next, and so on, and so that all the charges my be,exploded-successively and 4o. at determined moments, regulated by the` length of the tubes.

Myimprovements are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 shows a sectional view of a cannon 5 with my improvements as it appears loaded ,with two charges. a, cannon with my improvements as it appears loaded with three charges.- Fig. 3 is a similar View of a cannon as` itv appears loaded with 5o one charge in the 'usual manner, hereinafter used for the purposes of explanation. Fig. 4 is a similar View of a cannon as it appears Fig. 2 is a similar view of lFig. 2, as just shown,

loaded with two charges, hereinafter used for the purposes of explanation. Fig. 5 is a similar View of a cannon as it appears loaded with two charges, hereinafter usedfor the purposes of explanation.-

out the several views.

A is the wall of thecannon; B, vent; C C' C", wads; D, first charge; E, second charge;

Similar letters refer to similar parts through! F, third charge; G G', connecting.- tubes; II

I, position of C at one time after D has been fired; J, projectile; al b c d e, used to mark places for the purposes of explanation.

The operation'. of my improvements are 'illustrated by the drawings, as follows:

l Reference first being had to Fig. 1, the first charge. D,which is alightv charge, The propelling force of this charge overcomes the inertia of 'the wad C and of the projectile J, and, being but a light charge, there is but low initialstran on the wall A of the cannon. After .I is in'motion in the eannon,the second charge,'E, separated from D by wad C', is fired through a tube by D, and an increased pressure is brought to bear on J. This pressure acts gradually as J is in motion, and the pro-l pelling forces of D act as acnshion for the pro` pelling forces of E. To further illustrate my improvements for firing charges of powder -or similar explosive successively, I consider that powder is used in firing the cannon. D is cxploded through vent B in any usual manner. The gases arising from the explosion .overcome the inertia .of C and .I with but low initial strain on A. C and4 J are'pressed forward in the cannon until is past the opening H, when thegases from theexplosien of D enter theopening H of the .connectingtube G, pass through G and out at H in E, and ignitel E, and an increased pressure is brought to bear on J. This pressure acts gradually as J is in motion, and the gases from vthe explosion of Daet as a cushion for thepressure of the gases from the explosion of E. When three charges .are used, reference now being had to the gases` from I), after' .I is in motion, pass through Gand ignite E, and then when C is pressedby the gases from D past II they enter H, pass through G4, out at II,

which is se Y yand ignite the third charge, F, parated from E by wad C. The

and contraction in By myv-imp'rby'emeuts no greatsudden press- A that is, has shown a gases alreadyin the bore of the cannouaet as a cushion for the pressure ofthe gases from F. In some cases I find it'best to charge the counectin g tube or tubes with a very fastburning powder. In the same manner a gun may be arranged to have as many charges as desired. When more than three charges of powder or similar explosive are desired, more connectingtubes similarly arranged can be used. \Vhen only two charges are desired, the 'second should be -much heavier than the first. As the charges are fired directly in the bore of the gun, the propelling forces all act in the line of the bore,-and 'as thefirst charge is light and the pressure o f the others is gradual the projeetiiecauotle. upset. y It fis vwell known that in guns now used,when heavy charges have been 1ed,'th'e' projectile has been upsetdiiference in form after leaving the gun and has even been wedged in the bore.

My ,improvements apply as -well to rideas n smooth-bore guns, and as they are applied to guns of approximately-.straight tubes there is `but slight dangerv of strainin their manufao.

ture and'after 'firing-from' unequal expansion Cooling.

ure is broughlitoghearonthe' wall `of a gun.

By still further'lowering the initial pressure by a. light.v charg'efofslow-burning powder 4or otherwise, bymeans `of my improvements I am enabled to use afterward large charges of any material I used forthepropelling force to th row shells containing -nitro-glycerine, mclinite, or other high explosives. AAny known method of igniting the first charge maybe used. The

' charges may be'insertedxinto the'bore of 4the gun in any known way,

as a cartridge or otherwlse, care being taken that when inse'rtedfthe properl charges sha'll communicate at the right place with the proper openings ofthe connectingtubes. The chargesshould be separated, in. any known suitable manner, by wads strong enough to resist any material compression from the explosion of a charge in front, and

e which should be made of a material and so fit the bore as tor prevent the too rapid passage of gases through `or around their sides, arising from an explosion 44when g'unpowder or similar materialyis used.' -In the drawings I show an arrangement. of" lthe connecting-tubes. 4 They are shown-passing outsideof-the gn, so, if so wantedfja'nd preferably,I theyA can be made easily detachahletq In some cases it may be required' toma nysuitable device for holding themtight thefgnn and'.M jvhich allows of their being` 'easily.detachedI They may also be whollywithin the wall ofthe gun, and where a large wadat the base of the projectile or shot or projectile with groove is used they may be fastened to the insideof the wall of the gun or to the base of the gun and perforated, Where necessary. To use other than similar materials to gunpowder-as compressed air-supplemental suitable devices will be required.

Y Reference now being had to Figs. 3, 4, and

.v of-thirteen thousand one hun sectional view of a cannon single-charged, as

in general use. D occupies fivespaees and is charged with Ia material whose lnitlal pressure when fired is forty thousand pounds per square inch,owi ng to the inertia of projectile. N'Vhenl D is fired the pressure per square inch is expanded .Irom a to b (muzzle lof gun)in all sixteen spaces-to twelvethousand ve hundred pounds per square. inch, the breech of the gun sustaining the full-.force ofthe propellingforces.

Fig. 4 is a similar view of a cannon with my improvements. vD occupies one space auf] is charged with a material whose initial pressure is ten thousand pounds per squareinch. E occupies four spaces and is charged with a material whose initial. pressure is iifty thousand pounds per square inch. v When D is f red,the pressure rises to ten lthousand pounds per square inch, and when theprojectile is pressed forward to b-four spaccs--the pressure is expanded to twenty-five thousand pounds' persquare inch. Then E is fired, raising pressure atc to twenty-six thousand pounds per square inch. I will'suppose that when E is fired the pressure is raised to ten thousand pounds per square inch, asat d, lbefore C commences to move, when Gis pressed forward to b, com press# ingthe propelling forces betweenI C and C to vtwenty-six'thousand pounds per squareinch,

as -shown by line 'd c, then again expanding lfrom cito e,

dred pounds per fsq'ur'e inch.l `Although I have used' charges whoseinitial pressure was ten thousand pounds ,persquareiinch greater than invFig. 3, the greatestjpressu'ref-'brought to bear on the wall'of the cannonsftwenty-six thousand pounds` per square `inch. Fig. 5 is a similar view of a cannon with my improvements. I) 'occupies ione space and'is'j-charged with a material whose initial prs'surefs-ten thousand pounds per square inch.5-E'0ccupies five space and is charged withl a `material whose initi 1`"pressure is'ii-ftythgusaudpounds per squ re inch. When D is fiired., the pressure rises to ten thousand pounds per square inch, when and projectile are pressed forward to b-o e spacethepressure- .expanding to fivethousand pounds per'isquare inch. Then Eis fired, whose initial pressure is fiftyv thousand pounds per square inch. I will lsuppose that when E is fired the pressure is vraised to ten thousand pounds persquare inch before Ceomxnences tomove, when C' is pressed y forward until pressure is gradually raised .to'thirty-seven thousand pounds per square inch, as shown in lined c, which expands again to muzzle of gun at e, with a pressure of sixteen thousand pounds per s'quare inch, as shown inline c e. In this case, although I have used one-quarter more material and with an initial, pressure of ten thousind pounds per square inch greater, the greatest pressure brought .to bear (muzzle ofcannon,) with a pressure IIO on wall of cannon is Fig. 3.

thirty-seven thousand pounds per square inch, orthreethousand pounds per square inch less than `shown in do not limit my improvements to cannons and niortars, as it is applicable to all pieces of ordnance and firearms Having fully described my invention, what Ivdesire to claim and secure by Letters Patent 1S '1. A piece of ordnance or fire-arm having a tube connected jby two ,openings with the bore for ring: successively directly in the bore two charges of the material used topproduce the propelling force, the charge nearest the projectile jbeing irstred, which charges are separated Aby a lWad in any known suitable manner, the forward Qpeningof the tube into the bore being at a placewhich it is det'en mined .the projectile 'and wad -at its base shall have just passed when -the first charge has beeinred, beforef'the supplemental energewithiwhich the tube is connected sballbe fired,

and the rear' opening into'the bore being at a. place neareijthe breech and Where it canbe connected with`the-supplemental charge, and charge, all sub mechanisrn for iiring the rst 'etantially 'assho'wnor the purposes specified.

'2 A. piece of ordnance or nre-arm having two or more tubes, each connected by two openings with the bore, for ring successively directly in the bore three or more (according` to the number of tubes) charges of the material used to produce the propelling fo1'ce the charge nearest the projectile beingi'irst ired,

which charges are separated by wads in any v known suitable manner, the :forward opening of each tube into the bore being at a place which it Adeterinined'thc projectile and Wad at its base shall have just passed whenthe iirst charge has l mental change with which thetubeis connected been fired, before the suppleshall'be fired, and the 4rear opening into the bere I enfinnns vM. VAN-nume.

Witnesses:

J.; MA1-iov, desMQfALLoWAY. 

